Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Jake slowly walked around the towering arch. It looked identical to the portal he had encountered on the first floor, but there was one notable difference: the engravings. The portal before him lacked any, and the surface of the arch was smooth and flat. There weren’t any indentations where a key could be inserted, either. Though the arch appeared plain at first glance, the front side—facing the entrance—bore five engraved symbols. Aside from these, neither side of the arch featured any other markings. Jake stepped back to get a better view of all five symbols etched into its surface.

He remembered that the three symbols on the first-floor portal were located on one of the two bases of the arch, arranged vertically, one above the other. In contrast, the position of the five symbols on this portal was very different. Rather than being grouped in one area, they were spaced apart across the entire arch. One of the symbols was located at eye level on the left base of the arch. Another was at the right base, situated at the same height. The third was positioned at the curved top of the portal, directly in the center of the arch. The other two symbols flanked either side of the top one, located at the rounded corners of the arch.

Jake took a moment to examine the five symbols. He remembered that the three symbols etched into the surface of the first-floor portal had given him the impressions of a flame, a piece of ice, and a spatter of acid. These five symbols, however, looked nothing like those three. They didn’t have any familiar shapes, appearing as indecipherable markings that conveyed no specific impressions at all. They were simply mysterious symbols or letters from some ancient arcane language.

Jake remembered that the same three symbols carved into the first-floor portal were also inscribed on the rune stones worn by the three abyssal liches around their necks. This likely meant that the five symbols on this portal could be connected to items on this floor as well. Jake racked his brain, trying to remember if he had seen any similar symbols on the second floor.

However, nothing came to mind. He was absolutely sure he had never seen these five symbols anywhere on the floor before. Still, that didn’t mean they weren’t present somewhere. Although he had explored quite a bit of the second floor by that point, there were still many places he had yet to investigate. It was possible that rune stones bearing the same symbols were hidden somewhere, waiting to be found.

Since there was nothing he could do in the chamber with the portal at the moment, Jake left the room and continued to explore the dungeon, dispatching every group of ratman minions and grunts he ran into. At one point, he attempted to access the Boost Menu to purchase an Increased XP booster. Given that he had a substantial amount of mana at his disposal, he figured he could afford to spend 10,000 MP.

To his surprise, the booster menu failed to pop up in his mind. Instead, a system message emerged.

The Boost Menu is no longer available.

It was both surprising and disappointing. At first, he thought he wasn’t allowed to purchase boosters while in the dungeon. However, when he requested additional information, a completely different and unexpected reason came to light.

The Boost Menu is unavailable in areas that have been upgraded to Level 2.

He remembered that the city he was in had recently been upgraded to the next level, making all the enemies more powerful. The difficulty had increased, which also resulted in the Boost Menu being deactivated. It was truly disappointing. Had he known this would happen, he would have utilized the Boost Menu, particularly the Increased XP booster, far more often than he had.

Jake continued to explore the dungeon. So far, he had failed to find anything that bore the same five symbols engraved on the surface of the portal’s arch. This struck him as odd. Jake felt as if he was overlooking something important. If those five symbols were carved or inscribed elsewhere, he should have discovered at least one by now. However, he hadn’t found any, and it nagged at him.

At some point, he entered a vast chamber filled with a group of grunts and a couple of bonecasters. As soon as he saw the latter, Jake tensed up. He had developed a strong dislike for that particular type of ratman. Determined to avoid a drawn-out and exhausting battle like the last one with a bonecaster, he decided to take down the two spellslingers as quickly as possible.

Before the grunts could close in on him, he launched his bone battleaxe at one of the bonecasters. The axe spun end over end as it sailed through the air toward its target. The blade embedded itself deep into the ratman’s skull. One bonecaster down, and one more to take out.

The group of grunts had already advanced toward him while the second spellslinger stayed at the rear. The ratmen quickly formed a circle around him. Instead of battling his way through, as he had done before in a similar situation, he opted for a different approach. He jumped, activating Gravity Leap. The magically powered leap sent him soaring high above the heads of the ratman grunts. 

He landed behind the grunts, just a short distance from the bonecaster, and immediately charged at the creature. The spellslinger attempted to flee, but Jake spat out a glob of acid, catching the ratman in the ankle. The acid spit quickly burned through the bonecaster’s flesh, causing the ratman to lose its balance and crash to the ground. With a single leap, Jake closed the distance to his fallen foe and brought his smashfist down hard on its skull, causing it to blow apart.

Now that the grunts couldn’t be upgraded to more powerful versions of themselves, it didn’t take Jake much time or effort to deal with them.

Multiple enemies killed. +25,125 XP

Jake looked around and spotted a primitive chest nestled in one of the corners. Like most of the primitive chests he had discovered, it was not trapped. He approached it and lifted the lid. At the bottom rested a single item.

Name: Ruby

Rarity: Common

Description: Inserting this gem into a slot on your weapon gives it the ability to set aflame any enemies vulnerable to Fire. When placed in your armor’s slot, it increases your Fire resistance.  

Primary Effects: 10% chance to ignite the target when inserted into a weapon. Increases Fire resistance by 10% when placed in armor. 

Status: 100%

Jake retrieved his bone battleaxe and examined the small indentation above the handle. It matched the shape of the ruby perfectly. He pressed the gem into the indentation, and it clicked into place. The ruby now sat snugly in the slot, causing the entire surface of the battleaxe to glow with a faint red light, while subtle glimmers sparkled across its surface. 

Jake then reviewed the stats of the battleaxe one more time. 

Name: Bone Battleaxe

Rarity: Uncommon

Description: Crafted from the bone of a powerful creature, this expertly made battleaxe is highly effective against a range of beasts and beastmen, particularly rats and ratmen. It also features one ruby slot. 

Primary effects: Increases damage inflicted on beasts and beastmen by 25%, plus grants an extra 25% damage against rats and ratmen.

Temporary effects: The damage inflicted on ghosts and similar creatures is increased by 10% for 6 hours. Remaining time: 5 hours, 14 seconds

Enchantments: None

Slots: Ruby - Grants a 10% chance to ignite the target. Status: 100%

It was interesting. Jake was eager to try out the upgraded weapon against ratmen, who were vulnerable to Fire. After choosing a random direction, he continued exploring the dungeon.